After breakfast, it’s a short car ride up into the mountains to the Cheri Monastery. And for many people, this is probably your first visit to a Bhutanese Buddhist monastery. From the parking lot, it takes 45 minutes to 1 hour to walk up the hillside to the monastery. Spin the prayer wheels, visit the temple, and listen to your guide’s lesson about Buddhism and the monastery. After lunch in Thimphu, you have the option to visit a paper factory, National Memorial Chorten (This stupa is one of the most recognizable religious landmarks in Bhutan), Tashichho Dzong. Walking around the courtyard of this dzong is incredible. It’s a beautiful spot, with a mix of visitors, tour guides, and Buddhist monks. Inside of the temple 1000 Buddhas are painted on the walls. End the day with dinner in Thimphu. And Overnight stay in Hotel.

After Breakfast – Paro – Punakha. You can see here Buddha Dordenma Statue. This is the largest Buddha statue in the world. It is made of copper, gilded in gold, and filled with 125,000 smaller golden Buddha statues. Why build such a large, ornate statue? The Buddha Dordenma statue was built to commemorate the 60th birthday of Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth King of Bhutan. This statue sits on a hill overlooking Thimphu. Take in one last view of Thimphu, because now it is time to travel to Punakha. Dochu La Pass-The distance between Thimphu and Punakha is not long, only about 85 km. However, since you will be driving up and over a mountain pass on incredibly windy roads, this journey can take a long time. For us, it took over 3 hours to go this distance. We did this in 2014 while this road was undergoing a huge renovation project. Travel times are faster now (more like 2 to 2.5 hours) on better quality roads. Punakha Dzong-After lunch in Punakha, it’s just a short ride to the Punakha Dzong. What a site to see!! This is the most impressive dzong we saw in Bhutan. End the day with dinner in town or at your hotel. Overnight stay in Hotel. We had two giant rooms and each one had a great view of Punakha Valley.

After Breakfast proceed to Paro. One very cool thing to do while in Punakha is to go White Water Rafting on the Mo Chhu River. The timing of your visit to Bhutan has a lot to do with whether or not this is possible. In October, when we did this, river conditions are rather sedate. But in the spring months, rafting the Mo Chhu River becomes a much bigger adventure. White Water Rafting - From the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Temple, we donned life vests and climbed into our raft. For about one hour, we drifted down the Mo Chhu River, occasionally hitting bigger rapids. Because the water flow was low, it was more of a tranquil ride down the river than a hair-raising adventure, but even so it was a wonderful experience. The Punakha Valley is gorgeous and this is a unique way to see it. Gliding past the Punakha Dzong is an unforgettable experience. After lunch in Punakha, it’s a long drive to Paro. Take those doses of Dramamine, if you need them, and try to enjoy the scenic drive. It takes between 3 to 4 hours to drive from Punakha to Paro. End the day with dinner in town or at your hotel. Overnight stay in Hotel.

After breakfast proceed to see National Museum - The National Museum is Bhutan’s premier museum. Inside of this round, stone building are thangkas (Buddhist paintings), historic artifacts, and festival masks. Our favorite part of the visit to the museum was the view over the Paro valley. Paro Dzong - At the Paro Dzong, visit the temple, admire the architecture, and spin more prayer wheels. And visit the Kichu Lhakhang, This is one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, dating back to the 7th century. Drukgyek Dzonf - After lunch, and just when you thought there couldn’t possible be another Dzong to visit in Bhutan, you will journey out to Drukgyel Dzong. These are the ruins of an ancient dzong that burnt down in 1951. It’s a cool spot to explore and during the drive you get a view up to the Tiger’s Nest monastery. Spend the rest of the day shopping in Paro and end with dinner in town. Overnight stay.

After breakfast proceed to The grand finale to your tour of Bhutan is a climb up to the The Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Takstang Monastery). This monastery is one of Bhutan’s icons and a visit to Bhutan would not be complete without seeing this with your own eyes. A visit here usually lasts 6 to 8 hours, with time to hike to the monastery, tour the monastery, and have lunch. It’s an extraordinary experience and many people’s favorite activity during a visit to Bhutan. End the day with dinner in Paro. Overnight stay in Hotel.

After Breakfast - You will begin your journey home city, With beautiful memories.